Tasty Tales and Tips from a Culinary Traveler in Italy and France

July 10, 2011

Italy on a Plate - Week in Italian Food: July 10, 2011

Two soups, four light pasta dishes, two crostate, a sausage stuffed artichoke recipe and one from the ancient fornelli pronti of Puglia are included in my choices for this week's top 10 recipes. Eating Italy starts and ends with searches for the best, gelato in Sicily and pizza in Naples, that is. In between, you'll find restaurants; on the road to Naples, one on an island in the Venetian Lagoon, one that has it all in Rome, and street food in Catania. There's fishing and falling in love on Lake Trasimeno, an author's choice for top 5 cooking classes in Italy, a visit to Camogli, and Italy for Vegetarians. You can virtually drink your way around Italy, too. Featured are wines from the Veneto, Calabria, the "other half" of Italy, and a Lambrusco from Bologna. Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Barolo Night 2011 - July 23 - The town La Morra, in the Piedmont region, celebrates the king of wines - Barolo - with a progressive dinner in four locations, showcasing La Morra cuisine with a wine pairing.

Sagra della Porchetta di Arricia - September 4 - The town Arricia, near Rome, most famous for the roasted suckling pig starts porchetta celebrations on the first Sunday in Septmeber

Piadina Days - September 10 & 11 - The province of Forli-Cesena in the Emilia-Romagna celebrates the region's famous piadina

Slow Food Cheese - September 16 to 19 - Bra, the home of the Slow Food Headquarters - An cheese festival that originally highlighted only local cheeses, now is an international affair celebrating artisanl cheesemaking - the site is still under construction